Orbital period variation of the eclipsing binary system TT Herculis

New photoelectric UBV observations were obtained for the eclipsing binary TT Her at the Ankara University Observatory (AUO) and three new times of minima were calculated from these observations. The (O – C) diagram constructed for all available times of minima of TT Her exhibits a cyclic character superimposed on a quadratic variation. The quadratic character yields an orbital period decrease with a rate of dP /dt = –8.83 × 10^–8 day yr^–1 which can be attributed to the mass exchange/loss mechanism in the system. By assuming the presence of a gravitationally bound third body in the system, the analysis of the cyclic nature in the (O – C) diagram revealed a third body with a mass of 0.21M_⊙ orbiting around the eclipsing pair. The possibility of magnetic activity cycle effect as a cause for the observed cyclic variation in the (O – C) diagram was also discussed. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

The short‐period low‐mass binary system CC Com revisited

In this study we determined precise orbital and physical parameters of the very short‐period low‐mass contact binary system CC Com. The parameters are obtained by analysis of new CCD data combined with archival spectroscopic data. The physical parameters of the cool and hot components are derived as M_c = 0.717(14) M_⊙, M_h = 0.378(8) M_⊙, R_c = 0.708(12) R_⊙, R_h = 0.530(10) R_⊙, L_c = 0.138(12) L_⊙, and L_h = 0.085(7) L_⊙, respectively, and the distance of the system is estimated as 64(4) pc. The times of minima obtained in this study and with those published before enable us to calculate the mass transfer rate between the components which is 1.6 × 10^–8 M_⊙ yr^–1. Finally, we discuss the possible evolutionary scenario of CC Com (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Possible third body effects in the period changes of four Algol binaries: RY Aqr,SZ Her,RV Lyr and V913 Oph

An investigation of the orbital period changes of the neglected eclipsing binaries, RY Aqr, SZ Her, RV Lyr and V913 Oph, is presented based on all published minima times. Although the explanation of magnetic activity on the surface of the secondaries of the studied Algols is still open, the preferred light‐time effect due to the unseen components around the systems seems more plausible in explaining the tilted sinusoidal variations with relatively high‐amplitudes. The minimal mass values of possible tertiary components have been estimated to be about 1.06, 0.25, 0.78 and 2.85 M_⊙ for RY Aqr, SZ Her, RV Lyr and V913 Oph, respectively and the results indicate that their contributions to the total light of the eclipsing pairs are measurable with high accuracy photometric and spectroscopic data, if they exist. Applegate's (1992) model has been discussed as an alternative mechanism assuming that the cooler components have magnetic cycles. It is found that the model parameters of RY Aqr and V913 Oph are consistent with the required values in Applegate's model. In addition to the first detailed orbital study on these systems, a statistical survey on the character of the O – C variations of classical Algols has revealed that about 50 percent of the systems show cyclic behavior. This means that the presence of possible third bodies around classical Algols should be tested with careful analysis using new data. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

One of the first members of RS CVn‐type systems: MM Herculis

We present the long‐term multi‐colour photometry of MM Her which is one of the first members of the RS CVn‐type of eclipsing binary systems. We took advantage of its photometry‐spanning 33 years to evaluate its long‐term variation, which is caused by the evolution of the activity structures located on the surface of the cooler component. In this study we found that the long‐term variation in the brightness, colour, and amplitude of seasonal light curves over the years could be represented by two periods: one of which is of around 22.5 years, and is similar to all in this regard, but the other is a period value of about 9.5 years for the brightness variation, and of about 7.5 years for the variation in colour and amplitude. The analysis of the spot minimum phases gives a migration period of approximately 7.8 years. We also presented a new light curve analysis solution, and improved its light elements in this study. (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Eclipse mapping of the hot circumstellar plasma in Algol binaries

Phase‐resolved FUV observations of three Algol‐type interacting binaries (V356 Sgr, TT Hya, and RY Per) have been made during totality with the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer to map the location of the hot circumstellar plasma that produces emission lines of O VI, Si III,IV, S IV, C III, and N II. Since OVI shows very little variation in profile, strength, and velocity as the disk of the secondary occults the line formation region, we conclude that the emission originates in material that has a substantial flow perpendicular to the orbital plane (perhaps a bipolar jet). The behavior of the emission lines from the moderate‐ionization species suggests that the plasma producing these emission features has a large equatorial component. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Spectroscopy and orbital periods of the old novae V533 Herculis, V446 Herculis and X Serpentis

We report spectroscopic orbital periods of 0.147 d (=3.53 h) for V533 Her, 0.207 d (=4.97 h) for V446 Her and 1.478 d for X Ser. V533 Her (Nova Herculis 1963) shows absorption features in its He  i and Balmer lines which appear only in a limited range of orbital phase, suggesting that it is a low-inclination SW Sextantis star. V446 Her is unusual in that it has started normal dwarf nova eruptions after a nova outburst, but we find nothing else unusual about it – in particular, a distance estimate based on its dwarf nova outbursts agrees nicely with another based on the rate of decline of its nova eruption, both giving d ∼1 kpc. In X Ser, unlike in other old novae with long periods, no spectral features of the secondary star are visible. This and its outburst magnitude both suggest that it is quite distant and luminous, and at least 1 kpc from the Galactic plane.     

Light curve solutions of the ultrashort‐period Kepler binaries

We carried out light‐curve solutions of the ultrashort‐period binaries with MS components observed by Kepler. All six targets turned out almost in thermal contact with contact or slightly overcontact configurations. Two of them, KID 4921906 and KID 6309193, are not eclipsing but reveal ellipsoidal and spot variability. One of the components of KID 8108785 exhibits inherent, quasi‐sinusoidal, small‐amplitude variability. KID 12055255 turned out tobe a very rare case of ultrashort‐period overcontact binary consisting of two M dwarfs. Our modeling indicated that the variability of KID 9532219 is due to eclipses but not to δ Sct pulsations as it was previously supposed. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

An orbital period investigation of the Algol-type eclipsing binary VW Hydrae

Orbital period variations of the Algol-type eclipsing binary, VW Hydrae, are analyzed based on one newly determined eclipse time and the other times of light minima collected from the literature. It is discovered that the orbital period shows a continuous increase at a rate of dP/dt = +6.34×10-7 d yr-1 while it undergoes a cyclic change with an amplitude of 0.0639 d and a period of 51.5 yr. After the long-term period increase and the large-amphtude period oscillation were subtracted from the O-C curve, the residuals of the photoelectric and CCD data indicate a small-amplitude cyclic variation with a period of 8.75 yr and a small amplitude of 0.0048d. The continuous period increase indicates a conservative mass transfer at a rate of dM2/dt = 7.89×10-8 M⊙ yr-1 from the secondary to the primary. The period increase may be caused by a combination of the mass transfer from the secondary to the primary and the angular momentum transfer from the binary system to the circumbinary disk. The two cyclic period oscillations can be explained by light-travel time effects via the presence of additional bodies. The small-amplitude periodic change indicates the existence of a less massive component with mass M3 > 0.53 M⊙, while the large-amplitude one is caused by the presence of a more massive component with mass M4 > 2.84 M⊙. The ultraviolet source in the system reported by Kviz & Rufener (1987) may be one of the additional components, and it is possible that the more massive one may be an unseen neutron star or black hole. The rapid period increase and the possibility of the presence of two additional components in the binary make it a very interesting system to study. New photometric and high-resolution spectroscopic observations and a detailed investigation of those data are required in the future.     

O'Connell effect in early‐type contact binaries: DU Boo and AG Vir

The paper presents new photoelectric observations of the eclipsing binary systems DU Boo and AG Vir. The systems are somewhat similar – both are A‐type contact binaries with the maximum following the primary minimum being the brighter one. This light curve asymmetry is extremely temporally stable. The phase dependence of the color indices is unexpectedly small for the observed amplitude of the O'Connell effect, amounting to about 0.1 mag in the optical wavelength range which indicates a very large heated area with a temperature contrast of ΔT ≈ 1000–1500 K. The broadening functions (BFs) of the systems do not show any dark solar‐type photospheric spots. On the other hand, there are significant differences of BFs between the quadratures (surprisingly similar in both systems) indicative of stream of matter or bright region causing additional emission seen between the components around the phase 0.25. Absolute parameters of the components slightly depend on the adopted model. Long orbital period of both contact binaries combined with late spectral type indicate that the primary components of either of the systems (but particularly in case of DU Boo) already evolved off the main sequence (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Velocity curve analysis of the spectroscopic binary stars RZ Cas,CC Cas,HS Her,HD 93917, V921 Her and Y Cygni by the artificial neural networks

We use an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) to derive the orbital parameters ofspectroscopic binary stars. Using measured radial velocity data of six double‐lined spectroscopic binary systems RZ Cas, CC Cas, HS Her, HD 93917, V921 Her and Y Cygni, we find corresponding orbital and spectroscopic elements. Our numerical results are in good agreement with those obtained by others using more traditional methods (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Analysis of the photoelectric light curve and the orbital period variations of the binary system UU Andromedae

In this work, the analysis of the photoelectric light curve (LC) in the broad‐band filter (400–700 nm) for the UU And system was carried out using the PHOEBE program (vers. 0.31a). The absolute dimensions of the system are determined and its evolution is discussed. Moreover, the period changes of the system are studied using updated O – C data, which shows a cyclic change with a period of P_mod = 18 yr. This was attributed to a magnetic activity cycle operating in this system. In addition to the cyclic change, a long‐term secular variation due to mass transfer from the secondary to the primary component with a rate of 6.17×10^–9 M_⊙ yr^–1 was also detected. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

V533 Herculis: the second SW Sex old nova displaying emission-line flaring

We present high-time-resolution spectroscopy of the non-eclipsing old nova V533 Herculis (N Her 1963). It is the second nova remnant affected by the 'SW Sex syndrome'. A modulation of the equivalent width of the emission lines with a period of 23.33 min has been detected. This, together with the strong He ii λ4686 emission characteristic of magnetic systems, leads us to link this period to the spin of a magnetic white dwarf. Similar flaring activity has been recorded in other SW Sex stars, namely, the old nova BT Mon, LS Peg and DW UMa, supporting the idea of these systems being magnetic accretors. Stationary emission features are also observed in the Balmer lines, which we attribute to the ejected nova shell.     

Photometric study of the active binary star V1430 Aquilae

New BVR light curves and a photometric analysis of the eclipsing binary star V1430 Aql are presented. The light curves were obtained at the Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University Observatory in 2004. The light curves are generally those of detached eclipsing binaries, but there are large asymmetries between maxima. New BVR light curves were analysed with an ILOT procedure. Light curve asymmetries of the system were explained in terms of large dark starspots on the primary component. The primary star shows a long‐lived and quasi‐poloidal spot distribution with active longitudes in opposite hemispheres. Absolute parameters of the system were derived.We also discuss the evolution of the system: the components are likely to be pre‐main sequence stars, but a post‐main sequence stage cannot be ruled out. More observations are needed to decide this point. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Contribution to the study of F‐G‐K‐M binaries. X. HD 54901, HD 120544 and HD 123280, three nearby F‐type spectroscopic binaries

The orbital elements of HD 54901, HD 120544 and HD 123280, three nearby F‐type spectroscopic binaries, are presented. They are based on observations made between 1982 and 2004 with the CORAVEL instrument of Observatoire de Haute‐Provence. Physical parameters are derived for the two components of HD 54901 (SB2) and for the primaries of HD 120544 and HD 123280. The rotation‐revolution synchronism of the detected components is investigated. Pseudosynchronism is very likely achieved by the F7 V secondary component of HD 54901, whereas the F2/3 IV primary has not yet reached this stage. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Absolute and geometric parameters of the W UMa‐type contact binary V404 Pegasi

We present the results of our investigation of the geometrical and physical parameters of the W UMa‐type binary V404 Peg from analysis of CCD (BVRI) light curves and radial velocity data. The photometric data were obtained during 2010 at Ankara University Observatory (AUO). Light and radial velocity observations were analyzed simultaneously by using the well‐known Wilson‐Devinney (2007 revision) code to obtain absolute and geometrical parameters. Our solution indicates that V404 Peg is an A‐type overcontact binary with a mass ratio of q = 0.243 and an overcontact degree of f = 32.1 %. Combining our light curves with the radial velocity curves from Maciejewski & Ligeza (2004), we determined the absolute parameters of this system as follows: a = 2.672 R_⊙, M₁ = 1.175 M_⊙, M₂ = 0.286 M_⊙, R₁ = 1.346 R_⊙, and R₂ = 0.710 R_⊙. Finally, we discuss the evolutionary condition of the system (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)